Fiberglass or Steel?

[HeepofaJeep]

I was wondering what your guys' thoughts were on cb antennas. I am going to purhcase one for my truck, and was wondering whether it would be better to buy a fiberglass one, or a steel one. Thanks.

[GasWag]

I think the main thing you should focus on is yer handle..."hello there candy cane....Its rusty nail". I would most likely go with steel cuz I like shiney metal.

[Rande]

Are you talking about a 9' whip? If so, it really won't matter. There's really no difference in performance between them. The stainless steel 9' whip will be more durable in the long run. If this is the style of antenna you are asking about, I would recommend the steel whip.

I have been into CB continuously since 1974 and ham radio since 1990. I mention that so you will have some idea where the opinion is coming from.

[ April 21, 2003, 10:09 PM: Message edited by: Rande ]

[HeepofaJeep]

Yes I am talking about the 9'. Thanks for the opinion, that is what I am looking for. So you don't think that there is any justifiable difference between the fiberglass and the steel?

[Rande]

Not in performance. Just the durability issue.

A 9' whip tends to whack tree branches, the fiberglass whip will eventually begin to fray from that. The sun will also eventually degrade the fiberglass.

[4DWUDS]

What about the smaller ones, Say 2', with a spring to keep it from really getting beat up by low tree's.

[FSJ Thing]

The smaller ones work fine, but when it comes to CB ants, the bigger, the higher, the better. Not just for range, but for signal quality too. I'm no expert, but I switched from a 102" stainless whip to a 48" fiberglass and was not at all happy with it. First of all. Tuning it was a huge PITA, second, when voices used to be crystal clear comming through the speaker, they then sounded like someone was yelling at me through a toilet bowl with the shorter one. Also, I lost alot of range, not only with reception, but with broadcasting as well. I didn't even know the ant had anything to do with broadcasting, but a friend of mine that had a wifie and couldn't go out with me that often and I used to get hammered and talk back and forth in our driveways(maybe a mile away, probably less). When I switched to the shorter one, I couldn't raise him at all. I think this had more to do with the length of the ant than the material.

[Rande]

"I think this had more to do with the length of the ant than the material."

Right! Shorter antennas are a compromise.

The antenna MUST be a multiple of the operating frequency. At CB frequencies, they use the multiple of 1/4 wavelength, this is about 9'. It would be difficult to use a full wavelength antenna of 36'.

You can make an antenna shorter than 9' if you can coil some of that 9' length up. That is why you see shorter antennas with a coil somewhere on them. Some have the coil built into the base, some are part way up the whip, some are at the top, some have a continuous coil going from the bottom all the way to the top (usually wrapped around a fiberglass stick and wrapped with plastic).

If you go with a shorter antenna, mount it with as much body around it as you can and as high as you can. For a Waggie or Cherokee, mounting on the roof just in front of the luggage rack is best. On a pickup, on top of the cab near the back edge is best. Bumper mounting on a Waggie or Cherokee is bad because so much of the antenna is blocked by the body. On a pickup, this is less of a problem.

Mounting a 9' whip on the roof of any vehicle would be silly (it would work great though!). So, some compromise is in order. Mount the longest antenna you can, as high as you can, with the most metal around it as you can, and that's about the best you can get. Dual antennas do work, but maybe not as well as you might think. They certainly don't normally hurt your signal. Its just that to work properly, they need to be 1/4 wavelength (9') apart and you can't do that on our trucks (or any truck for that matter). The closer together they are mounted, the less efficient they become (but still, generally somewhat better than a single antenna at the width of a full-size truck). Dual antennas need a special coax connection. You can't just cut and splice the wires together.

Also, ALL transmitting antennas need to be adjusted (or "matched") to the radio and the vehicle. DO NOT just install the antenna and start transmitting. You risk wrecking your radio. There is a phenomenom known as SWR (standing wave ratio) that must be measured and tuned out as much as possible. There are several inexpensive SWR meters on the market that are wise investments. Also, when you run the coax cable to the antenna, if you have extra cable, don't coil it up neatly to stash it under the dash or seat or wherever. A coil creates inductance and inductance screws up the SWR match. Just take any excess coax and bundle it up randomly and stash it somewhere convenient.

[HeepofaJeep]

Thanks for the info! So do have any idea how much a bottom of the line swr meter would cost? Does using one only prevent a person from risking killing the radio, or does it also aid in the performance of the cb? I am very curious on this because I have quite a few friends who have merely just plugged in their antenna; I would love to be able to provide them with a way to get a better signal.

Thanks.

[Rande]

It really won't help with the signal. If the mismatch is severe, tuning the antenna will help because a significant amount of transmitted signal will be wasted as heat. But, if the mismatch is that bad, its likely the radios would have burned out by now. Tuning the antenna will prevent damage to the radio, but really won't help much in the range department.

Cheaper meters will be in the $20-$30 range. Any cb shop will have them. Radio Shack has one. Any truck stop that sells radios is likely to have one. They should all come with instructions.

A 9' whip is usually broadbanded enough that it shouldn't need tuning. Better safe than sorry though. The shorter the antenna, the more narrow banded it gets and tuning becomes critical then.

If you buy your antenna from a CB shop, they will usually tune the antenna for a modest fee after you get it installed and the radio hooked up.

[Maynard]

one thing about the fiberglass ones. My dad had 2 of the 48"ers, and they both broke right at the base after just about a month of use, and that was just freeway driving, no trees whacking them. I also have a 48" on my jeep and I cant hear hardly anything. I am going to get me a 120" steel whip and not worry about it anymore.